xept this time it's against those damn Arabs
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/091510dntexeducation.28d07a4.html
Quote
AUSTIN – Just when it appeared the State Board of Education was done with the culture wars, the panel is about to wade into the issue of what students should learn about Islam.
The board will consider a resolution next week that would warn publishers not to push a pro-Islamic, anti-Christian viewpoint in world history textbooks.
Members of the board's social conservative bloc asked for the resolution after an unsuccessful candidate for a board seat called on the panel to head off any bias against Christians in new social studies books. Some contend that "Middle Easterners" are increasingly buying into companies that publish textbooks.
A preliminary draft of the resolution states that "diverse reviewers have repeatedly documented gross pro-Islamic, anti-Christian distortions in social studies texts" across the U.S. and that past social studies textbooks in Texas also have been "tainted" with pro-Islamic, anti-Christian views.
The resolution cites examples in past world history books – no longer used in Texas schools – that devoted far more lines of text to Islamic beliefs and practices than to Christian beliefs and practices.
In addition, the measure cites some books that dwelled on the Christian Crusaders massacre of Muslims in Jerusalem in 1099, while censoring Muslim massacres of Christians there in 1244 and at Antioch in 1268 – "implying that Christian brutality and Muslim loss of life are significant, but Islamic cruelty and Christian deaths are not."
A religious freedom group that has battled with social conservatives said that none of the textbooks cited by sponsors of the resolution are being used in Texas schools and that the claims are superficial and misleading.
"This is another example of board members putting politics ahead of just educating our kids," said Kathy Miller of the Texas Freedom Network. "Once again, without consulting any real experts, the board's politicians are manufacturing a bogus controversy."
She argued that current books offer a balanced treatment of the world's religions.
The resolution states that pro-Islamic, anti-Christian half-truths, selective disinformation and false editorial stereotypes "still roil" some social studies textbooks nationwide, including "sanitized definitions of 'jihad' that exclude religious intolerance or military aggression against non-Muslims ... which undergirds worldwide Muslim terrorism."
Sponsors of the resolution cautioned that "more such discriminatory treatment of religion may occur as Middle Easterners buy into the U.S. public school textbook oligopoly, as they are doing now." They offered no specific evidence of such investments.
The resolution concludes with the warning to publishers that the "State Board of Education will look to reject future prejudicial social studies submissions that continue to offend Texas law with respect to treatment of the world's major religious groups by significant inequalities of coverage space-wise and by demonizing or lionizing one or more of them over others."
Even if the resolution is adopted by the board, it would not bind future boards, which will choose the next generation of social studies textbooks within a few years. The seven-member social conservative bloc lost two seats in the Republican primary in March and will be diminished when new members are seated next year.
The original proposal for the resolution was brought to the board by businessman Randy Rives of Odessa, who was defeated by board member Bob Craig of Lubbock in the GOP primary for a seat in the Panhandle and West Texas.
Several members of the board's social conservative faction quickly backed Rives' call for the resolution at a board meeting in July, and two asked that the resolution be placed on the agenda of the board's September meeting. Board members will meet Sept. 23-24 in Austin.
"The State Board of Education must enforce basic democratic values of our state and nation," he said, explaining that he came forward because the state's curriculum standards specify only what must be covered in textbooks and classes – but do not address what should not be covered because it is inappropriate for students.
"What concerns me is that some of these books are still available," he said. "The board needs to make a bold statement to publishers that pushing this agenda will not be tolerated in Texas."
Board member Cynthia Dunbar, R-Richmond, said the board has clear authority to reject inappropriate textbooks even though a 1995 state law sharply limited their textbook review powers.
And board member Don McLeroy, R-College Station, said he asked for changes in the most recent world history books, adopted in 2003, because they were loaded with text on Muslims but contained far less coverage of Christians.
In the end, he said, "the books were modified, and they agreed to make them more balanced." But he said he still sees a "serious problem" with bias in history books – most recently evidenced in the board's debate over U.S. history books for Texas schools.
Board member Pat Hardy, R-Fort Worth, suggested that the issue may be moot because none of the world history books cited by Rives are still in use in Texas, having been replaced in 2003.
Hardy said that Rives "might want to go back and get newer copies of the books," although she said she could not say for certain that the current versions don't have similar problems.
Isn't revisionist history HILARIOUS? :lulz:
EFO summed it up well when she said "The US is made of stupid and fail".
I like your daughter, Nigel.
The rest of this? :argh!: :horrormirth:
Why do you guys hate America™?
:facepalm:
:oops:
On behalf of Texas, I apologize.
Quote from: Iptuous on September 18, 2010, 08:13:52 PM
:facepalm:
:oops:
On behalf of Texas, I apologize.
Nonsense, the comedic value alone is worth it.
only because it's not your state, Charley.
:cry:
fucking Texas....
i'm so proud of it, i want to kill half the motherfuckers here.
Quote from: Iptuous on September 18, 2010, 08:42:01 PM
only because it's not your state, Charley.
:cry:
fucking Texas....
i'm so proud of it, i want to kill half the motherfuckers here.
Hey, it's not all bad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2-KgBhslBQ&feature=player_embedded
Y'all got Kinky Friedman, who is awesome. Plus, LBJ popped out of your hilly womb and he's pretty cool for a sleazeball.
A couple of those complaints seem legit (glossing over the Khwarezmians killing every living thing in Jerusalem, for example, even though most histories of the Crusades stop paying attention after the fourth, and this was the seventh, IIRC) but given the book isn't even in use, it comes across as childish and petulant.
Also, historians are well known for their pro-Islam bias. Historians just lurve teh Islam. Bernard Lewis, for example, would make sweet love to Islam, if it were a woman. Or a man. Or intersexed.
Bump.
I'm all for removing bias in favor of Islam, but to add bias in favor of xtians is poor form. IMO.
They should teach toe Old English nursery rhymes, at least those were based in reality.
This however, made me lol
Quote"The State Board of Education must enforce basic democratic values of our state and nation"
In other news, the Chinese State Education Commission must enforce the basic Marxist values of the People's State, the Reich Ministry for Science, Education, and Public Instruction of 1930s Germany must enforce the basic volkisch values of the National Socialist State and the Education Ministry of the Papal States must enforce the basic Christian values upon which the Vatican is based.
I mean, alternatively, the BoE could just try
educating people.
Quote from: Cain on September 19, 2010, 08:16:47 PM
This however, made me lol
Quote"The State Board of Education must enforce basic democratic values of our state and nation"
In other news, the Chinese State Education Commission must enforce the basic Marxist values of the People's State, the Reich Ministry for Science, Education, and Public Instruction of 1930s Germany must enforce the basic volkisch values of the National Socialist State and the Education Ministry of the Papal States must enforce the basic Christian values upon which the Vatican is based.
I mean, alternatively, the BoE could just try educating people.
:mittens:
Here's a fun little place.
http://clergygonewild.com/home
hooo boy this is a huge waste of breath
the texas board of ed does not need to publish a list of topics that textbooks shouldn't discuss. They've already done that by generating controversy around those topics! Publishers don't really want to talk about controversial topics, it makes their books harder to sell.
The texas board of ed state standards, called the TEKS, are actually pretty well put together for ESL kids. Luckily, that's the only part of the TEKS that my job involves.
Social studies are another kettle of fish
check this out: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=2147485019
that's the latest revisions to the TEKS social studies standards.
Here's some language which just made it in for this year's TEKS -- some of you may be amazed by how politicized this is!
-Students identify and discuss how the actions of U.S. citizens and the local, state, and federal governments have either met or failed to meet the ideals espoused in the founding documents.
-identify and describe the effects of government regulation and taxation on economic development and business planning
-define a multicultural society and consider both the positive and negative qualities of multiculturalism;
-analyze identify reasons for and the impact of selected examples of civil disobedience in U.S. history such as the Boston Tea Party and Henry David Thoreau's refusal to pay a tax. (boston tea party was added this year.. note that the only examples of civil disobedience explicitly named seem to center on right wing talking points)
Althought it must be said the language of those questions is fairly neutral and leaves open the possibility of arguing the point either way, within the narrow confines of popular American political debate. As politicized questions go, I've seen far worse and those are ones I'd be happy to ask in a class I was running (for the right age group).
I'd answer them.
Unfortunally I don't think the teacher would like my answers
the standards are left relatively vague because they are up for debate, but keep in mind they are used by generally conservative teachers. This language serves as a green light for them to inject their political opinions into the syllabus.
True, but that's the case for pretty much any class in which political questions are asked, if the teacher is so inclined.
that doesn't seem so odd for a social studies class, IMO.
and i recall just those sorts of discussion points in the textbooks i had over a dozen years ago.
(holy shit.... over a dozen years ago! :aaa:)
most state standards are not nearly as specific
for example, here's some of illinois' social studies standards:
http://www.gis2gps.com/standards/social/political/political.html
here's new york's elementary level Soc.studies state standards:
http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/socst/pub/sscore1.pdf
they are much more broadly worded and far less politicized
Quote from: Thurnez Isa on September 22, 2010, 03:28:31 PM
I'd answer them.
Unfortunally I don't think the teacher would like my answers
That's what I was thinking. I wouldn't be surprised if the board tries to legislate the correct answers to those questions.
I like how civil disobedience in the Civil Rights Movement isn't mentioned. I mean, Rosa Parks?
I also like how people consistently miss the point of the Boston Tea Party and colonial resistance to the Tea Act.
Quote from: Doktor Blight on September 22, 2010, 11:51:35 PM
I also like how people consistently miss the point of the Boston Tea Party and colonial resistance to the Tea Act.
Teh point was FREEDOM!!!
\
:mullet:
Quote from: Ratatosk on September 23, 2010, 02:16:41 PM
Quote from: Doktor Blight on September 22, 2010, 11:51:35 PM
I also like how people consistently miss the point of the Boston Tea Party and colonial resistance to the Tea Act.
Teh point was FREEDOM!!!
\
:mullet:
I think it had something to do with Marxist Nazis
The Islamofascist crypto-Communist progressive government of King George William Frederick HANOVER III (secretly born in GERMANY) had been oppressing the British-American white male Christian colonists for too long and had to be resisted. Obviously.
The education community is (finally) up in arms about this. Though, disdain really doesn't faze these types out in Texas and Arizona. They just keep fucking their shit up, they don't give a rat's ass what others think about it.
Yeah but if they bitch enough the textbook industry might come up with non Texas books in order to make the rest of the education community happy.
Quote from: Jenne on September 24, 2010, 08:26:41 PM
The education community is (finally) up in arms about this. Though, disdain really doesn't faze these types out in Texas and Arizona. They just keep fucking their shit up, they don't give a rat's ass what others think about it.
The attitude I detect is that they actually take pride in not considering other people's views.
Quote from: Sigmatic on September 25, 2010, 06:43:18 AM
Quote from: Jenne on September 24, 2010, 08:26:41 PM
The education community is (finally) up in arms about this. Though, disdain really doesn't faze these types out in Texas and Arizona. They just keep fucking their shit up, they don't give a rat's ass what others think about it.
The attitude I detect is that they actually take pride in not considering other people's views.
Yes.
This is why you should ignore any chainsaw noises from AZ. It's for the best.
At this point, if I thought I heard chainsaws from AZ, I would assume it was some sort of desert wildlife people hadn't mentioned yet, out of care for my delicate sensibilities.
Quote from: Sigmatic on September 25, 2010, 07:37:13 PM
At this point, if I thought I heard chainsaws from AZ, I would assume it was some sort of desert wildlife people hadn't mentioned yet, out of care for my delicate sensibilities.
Well, you could say that.
:lulz: So you could.
It would just be easier if they took Beka Books :lol:
Texas Freedom network did an investigation on the claims of pro-Muslim bias...
and suprise it didn't hold up
http://www.tfn.org/site/DocServer/Islam_Resolution_Brief.pdf?docID=2061